The Road of Legends
by paulika99
Summary: Graduating from the Academy dead last, Naruto was seen by many as a failure. However, what Jiraiya saw himself in Naruto and decided to be his permanent teacher from the moment he left the Academy?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

 **-Hi everyone, this is my first attempt at a story. For a while now I have been telling myself that I should write one, but never really got around to doing anything about it. I finally decided to give it a try, and see how it goes. This story is purely about hardship, the bonds of friendship, and a child that was hated by many, and how he won the love of his people.**

Everyone in the shinobi nations knows the story. The Kyuubi, a beast of untold power and ferocity, mysteriously appeared in the outskirts of the hidden leaf village. Its tails along could cleave forests, and create valleys, and few could stand up to its might. Some of the veterans of the attack even go so far to claim that they say a glint in its eye every time a Shinobi desperately tried to scream as they were annihilated by the supreme power of a rampaging tailed beast. On that night, a man and his life had their names written in legend. The Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, gave his life to destroy the beast once and for all. Or so it was written in the history books. In reality, something far more grave happened. A child, destined to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders was chosen as a host, a jinchuriki, and had the Kyuubi sealed into him. The world would change forever that night, and as one legend perished at the hands of a beast, another was born by the deeds of his father.

 **11 years after the nine tails attack**

The wind rustled a young boy's golden hair as he stood atop the Hokage Monument. The great stone face of the Yondaime glared down on the village hidden in the leaves, as if daring another nation to try their luck in an attack.

Naruto sighed, staring out into the distance. His bright orange jumpsuit was disturbed by a sudden strong wind that blew through the leaf village. In a rare moment of peace and silence from the rambunctious 11 year old boy, Naruto simply sat and watched. Wondering. Thinking. Dreaming.

But like most good moment, it had to come to an end.

"NARUTO!" and angry voice cried from below, "Come down here this instant and clean up the mess you just made!"

With a great leap, the academy student bounded off the monument, cackling as he dashed away.

"You'll never catch me Iruka sensei!" Naruto yelled as he sprinted across rooftops, oblivious to the stares and remarks of the villagers below.

Naruto wasn't good at much, in fact, many would say that he was good at nothing at all. The people said it, the council said it, even Naruto's teachers claimed he was useless. No one could blame them, with below average taijutsu, almost non existent ninjutsu, and no genjutsu at all, Naruto was a dead last student, a dobe, a failure. And yet, no one saw his good qualities, his energy, massive chakra reserves, kindness, and devotion. For in the ninja world, it was common to summarize a person on a sheet of paper, and say that the facts written down was all there was to them.

There was one other thing Naruto was good at, running. And so he did. Naruto ran and ran, jumping over stalls, swerving in between people, cats, dogs, and the occasional summon, running across Konoha like his life depended on it.

This time he was sure he would be noticed, make a difference, be acknowledged, Naruto thought. Spraying the remains of the Uchiha compound bright pink would be sure to cause some talk, or at least a couple people to stare or chuckle.

Yet, deep down, Naruto knew that it would change nothing. He wouldn't stop being the dead last, the dobe, the failure. He would still be seen as "that boy", the "demon child" the "good for nothing loser."

However, this was all about to change. Tomorrow were the genin exams, and Naruto was sure he would pass! He just had to!

"NARUTO STOP RIGHT NOW!"

And stop he did, for in his thoughts, Naruto had run right into his instructor, Iruka.

Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but seeing as it was 12:00pm on an academy day, Naruto should have been in class.

"What am I going to do with you?" Iruka exasperatedly said, throwing his hands in the air.

Iruka was an average sized man with nothing that stood out for the most part. His light brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, which Naruto personally felt made him look silly, but didn't dare comment. His distinguishing feature was a broad scar on his nose, about three inches long, most likely from a combat mission gone wrong.

"You know that you should be learning right now," Iruka said, "How do you expect to improve if you never try at anything besides pranks?"

"But Iruka sensei-"

"NO Naruto, I don't want to hear any of your excuses this time, the genin exam is tomorrow, and you should be training to pass instead of fooling around." Iruka chided.

Naruto slumped over, defeated.

Iruka sighed, "Look Naruto, I'll cut you a deal. If you pass the exam, then we can both go get all the ramen you can eat!"

Instantly, Naruto perked up, excited by the prospect of his favorite food.

"YOU HAVE A DEAL SENSEI!" Naruto shouted.

"STOP YELLING, I'M RIGHT HERE!" came the angry retort of Iruka, but by the time he turned his back to head back to the academy, Naruto was already gone.

Naruto dashed back to his apartment with a grin on his face. Unlimited ramen! It was like a dream come true for him! He bounded up the steps to his flat, and quickly turned the key and rushed inside.

While it was by no means tiny, by all purposes, Naruto's place was, well, a dump. It looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in years, and it probably hadn't. Instant ramen cups were thrown all over the floor, which was covered in an impressive layer of dust. The kitchen was clean, but simply because Naruto only at instant ramen, and had no use for any appliances. Clothes were thrown all over the floor in a random pattern, and the windows hadn't been washed in years. Naruto sat on his bed and sighed. Sometimes he had dreams that he lived in a palace, that he was secretly a prince, and his real parents would take him away to a life of riches and excitement. But then he would always wake up. An orphan, with the only father figure in his life Jiji, the third Hokage. Even then, he had very little time to spend with Naruto, so the majority of Naruto's life was spent alone.

Flopping down on his bed, Naruto stared at the blank walls of his room and smiled.

"Soon," he thought, "All of these walls will be filled with pictures, pictures of people whose lives I have touched, pictures of people who will remember and acknowledge me."

And with that comforting thought, Naruto drifted slowly into unconsciousness, dreaming of glory and friendship.

 **Meanwhile, in the forests surrounding the hidden village,**

"Are you ready Mizuki," a voice hissed in the darkness, "tomorrow is you biggest challenge yet. It would be such as shame for you to fail me, I've been needing more experimentsssss." The voice whispered.

Mizuki shivered as his master spoke. "Don't worry," Mizuki said, "everything will go according to plan. You will get your scroll, and the demon that murdered my family will be dead. Everyone wins. Except Naruto of course, you can have his body afterwards if you want. Just wait until I'm finished with him."

"Of course," the man hissed, "It has been a pleassssure doing buisnessss with you Mizuki."

The cold presence vanished from the forest and Mizuki let out the breath that he had been subconsciously been holding in. His face broke out into a wide grin. Eleven years of planning, and he could finally have his revenge tomorrow.

The sun started to peek over the horizon and Mizuki grinned.

"It's a new age Naruto, and you won't ever be a part of it. No one needs demons in this world, and it's my job to finish what my parents started."

With his parting statement to the air, Mizuki stalked off, counting down the hours until the exams began.

 **Well, that all I have so far, I hope that everyone who read it enjoyed it a little bit at least. I know, the plot isn't clear at all yet, but don't worry, I will make sure you guys know really soon what is different in this story. I don't think that anyone has explored my idea yet, but as a heads up, there is no immediate transformation into a super naruto, or a godlike character. Naruto will gain power and friends through hard work and determination, not a convenient bloodline or overpowered weapon. Well that's it for my first chapter, hope to see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"FINALLY, THE DAY HAS COME!" Naruto shouted as he bounded out of bed and across the room. It was the day he had always been waiting for, the genin exam, the first step on his path to becoming a powerful ninja, and meeting people from all over the five great nations.

With no time to waste, Naruto jumped across the room, pulled on his orange jumpsuit, and threw a cup of instant ramen in the microwave.

Three minutes and forty two painstakingly long seconds later, Naruto quickly slurped down his meal, spilling it everywhere. Perhaps that was one of the reasons his apartment was always sticky.

The door blasted open, and a blond blur came flying out, startling man passersby. Grinning from ear to ear, Naruto took off in the direction of the academy, feet pumping and heart racing.

"This time," he thought "This is the time that I pass for sure!"

One by one, the class filed into the room, and Naruto took his seat, looking around. Considered the class with the greatest potential in the history of Konoha, it was easy to see why.

In front of Naruto sat a scrawny brown haired boy with face paint running down each cheek. Kiba Inuzuka, the son of the leader of the Inuzuka clan, was currently resting, with his pup, Akamaru, napping on his head. The Inuzuka clan were feared and respected for their dangerous combination jutsu's with their hounds, and their fearsome tracking ability.

Next to him sat a quiet boy who was seen as a recluse by most of the class, Shino Aburame. With his large hood and dark glasses it was easy to see why he was considered weird. The heir to the Aburame clan, known for their control over insects, Shino was a mysterious character who seldom spoke when addressed.

To the left of Shino sat a girl with bright blond hair and blue eyes, witch at the moment, were fixated on the boy directly behind her. Ino Yamanaka, a member of a clan of mind invaders, whose abilities allowed them to gather information from the cerebral cortex of captured enemies, the perfect interrogators.

The boy in question that had drawn her attention was nothing short of a living legend in Konoha at the moment. Sasuke Uchiha, a member of the famed Uchiha clan, held in a dark light across the shinobi nations for their deadly bloodline, the sharingan. Considered one of the most deadly techniques ever, the sharingan allows the user to predict enemy movements, copy jutsu with simply a glance, and provides many more abilities. However, years ago, Itachi Uchiha, the older brother of Sasuke, slaughtered his people, and has been on the run ever since. Sasuke, a boy with dark hair, dark eyes, and an even darker soul, was currently staring out the window, thinking of all the ways he would murder his older brother for destroying their clan.

Speaking of staring, a girl with bright pink hair seemed to be doing a lot of it at the moment. With a contented sigh, Sakura Haruno gazed adoringly at Sasuke, dreaming of all they might do once they were finally married. That was unless Ino got in her way, but there was no way in hell she would allow that to happen! Sasuke was hers!

"Troublesome," someone in the back muttered after observing the antics of the girls. Shikamaru Nara, a member of the esteemed Nara clan, known for their shadow jutsu and legendary laziness, was staring out the winter trying to make out a cloud just beyond the horizon. He sighed, not really seeing the point of the Academy, and looked forward to going to and lying in his yard, gazing up at the sky before going to bed for the night. That is unless getting up took too much effort. He might just sleep outside.

A shower of crumbs brought Shikamaru's attention down to earth, as his best friend Choji Akimichi had just opened yet another bag of snacks. Choji was a large boy with an even larger personality. It was quite common for the Akimichi to be large for their deadly jutsu's relied on expansion techniques, that is if the user stopped eating long enough to use them.

Lastly, in the corner, a shy girl was tucked away, secretly observing the classroom from afar. Hinata Hyuga, the user of the famed byakugan bloodline, was a shy girl who in the words of her father "would never meet her true potential." The byakugan is an eye technique possessed by all in the hyuga clan. It allows observation of chakra flow, increased vision, and a nearly 360 degree vision field.

Together, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba, would surpass all expectations of their predecessors. Some would grow up to be great, others powerful, and all of them would be heroes.

It was finally time, with all of the students ready, the genin exams finally began.

First up, it was taijutsu, Naruto scraped by with a score of 5 out of 10 needing a four, and at the top of the pack was Sasuke with a perfect record.

Next came genjutsu, much to Naruto's dismay. With no talent at all in this area, Naruto failed completely. Once again, Sasuke came out on top with and indignant "Hm".

"Alright class," called Iruka, "In the final part of this exam, you will all be required to complete on jutsu, the bunshin."

Inwardly, Naruto groaned. Why did Iruka have to choose a jutsu he was never able to master? It felt like it was always impossible for him to do it, no matter what he did.

"Alright Naruto, your turn," Iruka said."

"Right!" Naruto cried, " **Bunshin no jutsu!** "

There was a great puff of smoke, and when it finally settled down, a second figure could be seen standing. However the figure was quick to topple over, seeing as it was a pitiful representation of Naruto, barely even a jutsu at all.

A tick mark appeared on Iruka's forehead and he shouted, "FAIL!"

Naruto drooped. It couldn't have happened. He was sure that this time he would succeed. He thought that it would be different this time.

"Come on Iruka," Mizuki said, "Naruto tried really hard, that must count for something?"

"I'm sorry," said Iruka, "but those are the rules, it looks like you will just have to wait another year Naruto."

One by one, the rest of the class passed, with Sasuke taking the title of Rookie of the Year. Naruto couldn't care less. Surely there was another way to pass? There had to be!

The class filed out slowly, with many going home to celebrate the new promotion.

Picking his heavy legs up, Naruto was dragging himself out the door when he heard a voice,

"Hey Naruto, come here for a moment," Mizuki said, "Look, I know another way for you to become a genin."

"Really?" Naruto cried, "What do I have to do?"

"Just steal that big scroll that the Hokage keeps in his office every night, and learn a jutsu from it. Meet me in the forest outside the village in three hours, and I can promise that I will pass you." Mizuki said.

"Awesome!" said Naruto as he jumped in the air, "I'll see you then Mizuki!"

And with that, Naruto rushed off, determined to steal the scroll and finally become a ninja.

Naruto dashed up to the Hokage's office, thanking his luck that Sarutobi was asleep on a mountain of paperwork that needed to be finished. Stealing the scroll, he ran to the forest. Sarutobi peeked open his eye and wondered "who put you up to this Naruto?"  
"ANBU," he said, "Go tell Iruka to follow Naruto to make sure that nothing happens to him.

"Right away sir," replied the stoic bird-masked man hidden in the shadows.

Naruto ran, and the forest grew thicker and darker. Finally, he stopped at a clearing to draw in a deep breath. Slowly unraveling the scroll, Naruto licked his lips in anticipation.

"Very well done Naruto," came a voice from the forest. Mizuki stepped into the clearing, clapping sarcastically.

"I never expected it to be this easy," he said.

"What's going on?" Naruto yelled, "I didn't have enough time to learn a move yet!"

"That won't be an issue," Mizuki said, "I'll make sure you never have to learn any jutsu ever again. Do you know why the town ignores you Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head, slowly backing away from the man who was growing increasingly frightening.

"Well I'll tell you," Mizuki said, grinning devilishly, "What do you know about the nine tailed fox incident eleven year ago?"

"The Yondaime killed it." Naruto stated. "He gave up his life to save the village and died a hero."

"Wrong!" Mizuki snapped. "A beast of such power and malevolence cannot be killed by one man. My parents learned this the hard way when they were cut down in an instant by the monster. The fourth hokage made a bargain. In exchange for his life, he sealed the nine tails inside an innocent little boy."

"That's not possible!" Naruto said.

"NARUTO DON'T LISTEN!" came a rapidly approaching voice. Iruka crashed onto the scene.

"Mizuki!" he spat, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Keep quiet Iruka," Mizuki said with a sneer, "I might as well enlighten the demon before I eradicate him from this earth."

"What are you talking about?" said a very confused Naruto.  
"Don't say anything Mizuki! You know the law!" cried out Iruka

"IT WAS YOU!" Mizuki yelled, "YOU WERE THE CHILD, YOU ARE THE DEMON FOX THAT ALMOST DESTROYED THIS VILLAGE!"

"Naruto don't listen to anything he is saying!" Iruka shouted.

Naruto froze. Time almost seemed to slow down. It all made sense, too much sense to be the mad ramblings of an insane teacher. The stares, the hateful glances, being kicked out of shops and stores. The whispers among the people. The cries of "Demon!" and "THAT child again!" Naruto's eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets. He WAS the nine tails! He has the beast that killed thousands sealed inside of him! He was a MONSTER!

"Naruto move!" THUNK!

Naruto snapped out of his daze to see Iruka hunched over him, a massive shuriken buried in his chunin flak jacket.

"Damn it Iruka!" Mizuki seethed, "Just let the child die! He killed your parents too!"

"Look at me Naruto!" Iruka demanded, and Naruto's watering blue eyes fixed on him.

"You are not a monster! You are Naruto Uzumaki! You can be the greatest ninja the world has ever seen! Now RUN!"

Naruto was in shock, first he was told that he contained a great demon, and now his instructor had thrown himself in harm's way and taken a potentially fatal wound.

"It's over Naruto!" Mizuki cackled, "Now you die!"

"Well what do we have here?" came a new voice. A tall man emerged. At around 6'5, he towered over Mizuki, surveying the scene in front of him.

"This doesn't concern you old man!" Mizuki said, "just walk away and forget what you have seen here."

"Sorry, but it seems like my help is needed as always." The man said.  
" **Rasengan!** "

A glowing blue ball of energy formed in his hand, which was thrust into the chest of Mizuki, blowing him backwards and killing him instantly.

It was too much, Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell backward, passing out on the forest floor.

 **Hi everyone, I hope that you enjoyed by second chapter, things really started to get interesting in this one. Leave a review if you want, all feedback is appreciated, and I am happy to make changes in the future that you think could improve the story. See you next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Just to clarify, there will be no Kage Bunshin Jutsu with Naruto at the beginning of this story. That is one of the facts that I never really liked, because I felt that it negated the hard work he should be doing. It seemed kind of overpowered and too convenient for Naruto to get super powerful quickly. However, I'm not sure if I will include it later on or not. Feel free to share your opinion on this matter with me.**

Naruto woke with a start in his apartment. The previous day's event came rushing back to him like a waterfall. Who was that man? Why did he help him? Was Iruka ok? Why didn't anyone tell him about the fox?

A million questions bounced around his head, but Naruto resigned to ask them all later. Rolling out of bed her heard a loud CLINK as he jumped out of bed. Looking down at his fee, naruto saw a bundle of cloth along with a note attached.

 _Naruto,_

 _Due to your courageous actions yesterday, I have decided to promote you to genin under special circumstances. Report to the Academy at 9:00am to recieve your team assignments._

 _Signed,_

 _Sarutobi Hiruzen_

 _Hokage of the Leaf_

Unwrapping the bundle, a Konoha headband fell out and into Naruto's lap. A wide grin spread across Naruto's face until he looked at the clock 8:53am. Only seven minutes until team assignments! Dashing out of bed, Naruto flashed through his morning routine in order to arrive on time. Blasting through the door at 9:01, Naruto ran to the back of the room and took his seat, much to the bewilderment of his classmates.

"What are you doing here loser," Sasuke said, "This is for graduates only."

"Take a look at my forehead theme!" Naruto shot back, "I'm a genin now and nothing will stand in my way of becoming the greatest ninja of all time!"

"Hm" came the response of the stoic Uchiha.

"Alright class listen up," said a bandaged Iruka, "Please report to where your jonin instructors tell you, and listen for your teams."

"Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, please report to room 12 for a meeting with your sensei, Asuma Sarutobi."

"Troublesome"

"Sweet"

"No, I must be with my Sasuke!"

"Uh alright then," said Iruka after the various reactions died down, "Will Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka please go to room 13 to find your sensei, Kakashi Hatake."

"Hm" stated the ever stoic Uchiha.

"YES! MY DREAMS WILL BE COMPLETE WITH SASUKE," shrieked Sakura as she jumped on her desk, pumping her fist in the air.

Kiba just grumbled at the floor, cursing his luck of being stuck with the indignant Uchiha.

"And finally," Iruka said, "Hinata and shino, you will report to room 14, where you will meet the newest addition to our graduation class, Sai."

HInata and Shino both nodded, heading off with everyone else to their respective classes.

"What about me sensei?" asked a very confused Naruto.

"Don't worry," Iruka said with a smile, "The Hokage asked me to send you to his office for a personal teacher. It has been a pleasure to teach you Naruto. I have the utmost confidence that you will train to become a splendid ninja, and will leave your own impact on the world. No go to the office and meet your next teacher."

With a foxy grin, Naruto sped off towards the Hokage's office, wondering just what the old man had in store for him.

Arriving at the door, Naruto knocked twice before he heard, "Come in Naruto." The door creaked open, and Naruto stepped inside.

"Why didn't I join a team like all my other classmates?" Naruto said.

"Not to worry," said The Third with a sigh, "I personally believe that you will develop to your full potential faster, with an individual teacher. I trust that you will treat him with the respect that he deserves."

"Just who is teaching me?" Naruto asked, scanning the room for anyone else.

"That would be me kid." The man from the woods stepped out of the shadows in the corner, his white hair glinting softly in the midday sunlight. "My name is Jiraiya of the Sannin, and from now on, you are my apprentice. Meet me at training ground in ten minutes. AND DON'T BE LATE!"

The man vanished with a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

 **At Training Ground Six**

"So you're the kid I'm in charge of for the next couple years huh?" Jiraiya smirked, "Show me what you got."

With a yell, Naruto charged, running at the large man at full speed, fully intent on showing him all of his abilities. WHAM! A fist smashed hard into Naruto's gut, sending him flying in a cloud of smoke and dust. He rolled across the pitch and came to a stop, groaning slowly.

"Come on kid, you can do better than that, " said Jiraiya as he egged him on.

And on it went. It seemed to Naruto's untrained eyes that his new teacher was a blur of devastation. Naruto could never even get close. Every time he might have gotten a slight advantage, he was sent reeling head over heels by a powerful punch from Jiraiya's fists. Naruto tried everything he knew, distractions, stealth, full on charges, faking being injured, but nothing seemed to work on the man in front of him.

"Alright kid, that's enough for now," said Jiraiya, not even looking winded in the slightest.

"But I couldn't even hit you!" Naruto protested.

"Soon kid, but it seems that you lack some jutsu in your arsenal. But before we even go to that, your chakra control needs some brushing up. A LOT of brushing up if you even have a hope of performing high ranking jutsu with any level of effectiveness. Do you see that tree over there?" Jiraiya said.

"Yeah, what about it?" Naruto asked.

"I want you to climb it, not with your hands, but only using your feet. Too much chakra channeled into your feet, and it will break the bark, too little, and you will fall back on your butt and need to start again. Use a kunai to mark your progress as you go higher. Got it?" Said Jiraiya.

"I think so," said Naruto, "Just you wait! I'll have this down in no time at all!"

"Alright kid, I'll check on your progress tomorrow night, for now I need to do some research," said Jiraiya with a small giggle.

"Research on what?" the ever inquisitive Naruto asked.

"When you're older kid, when you're older," said the man with a goofy grin, and disappeared.

Naruto worked, he worked and worked until he felt that his legs couldn't take it anymore. Slowly, the slashes on the tree grew higher. Five feet, ten feet, twenty feet, fifty feet, one hundred feet, With his arms and legs shaking, Naruto tried to take just one more step further upwards before going home for the night. His foot met air. Opening his eyes, Naruto took a look around. He was on top of the tree, with all of Konoha outlined around him. A hundred feet below, the first kunai slash could be seen, a mark of dedication. Closing his eyes Naruto breathed in deeply, enjoying the feeling of empowerment. He felt invincible, on top of the world. Nothing could stop him from becoming the greatest ninja ever.

All of those who doubted and feared him would be proven wrong. He, Naruto Uzumaki, would surpass them all! Rising up to his full height and leaping to the top of the tree Naruto shouted into the night, "I am Naruto Uzumaki, and I will protect those closest to me no matter what! Nothing and no one will stand in my way of success!"

 **Well that's the end of the third chapter. Thanks for reading everyone. I hope you enjoyed what has happened so far. Naruto's development will be gradual, and without the use of Kage Bunshin, won't involve any shortcuts to power. In case you hadn't noticed, Naruto isn't as loud as he is in the anime, but is still a very outgoing person, and Jiraiya while not a super pervert is still "researching". Jiraiya doesn't have the goofy flair for dramatics and entrances. He is more serious and focused. But that isn't to say he doesn't know how to have fun! Thanks for taking the time to read my work. I hope to see you all next time.**


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